List of Interviews

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  ALMENOAR, Syed Esa (Tan Sri)

  • Recording Date: 04/10/1983
  • Accession No: 000321
  • Reel No: 14

  Tan Sri Syed Esa Almenoar was born in 1918. He graduated from Victoria Bridge School, Raffles Institution and was admitted to Middle Temple Inns of Court, London. He worked as a librarian of the Supreme Court initially and later left for London in 1946 to complete his legal studies. He first worked with Pillay and Ibrahim Company. Later, he opened his own legal firm. He shares about the Japanese surrender and British Military Administration (BMA), how the Japanese Occupation affected the country and lessons learnt. Singaporeans developed a spirit of independence and learned to run government departments.

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  HALE, Trevelyan James Ruthven

  • Recording Date: 19/10/1984
  • Accession No: 000476
  • Reel No: 12

  Trevelyan James Ruthven Hale was born in 1921 into a Eurasian family. Many of his family members worked for the Colonial government and he was not an exception. In this oral interview, he talks about living and working conditions during British Military Administration (BMA), including food supply conditions. Black market was prevalent after the War and there were frequent instances of smuggling and illicit distilling.

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  CHAN, Kwee Sung

  • Recording Date: 23/09/1993
  • Accession No: 000962
  • Reel No: 6

  Chan Kwee Sung was born in 1930 in Singapore. He attended Gan Eng Seng School and Anglo-Chinese Continuation School. He was a teacher at Anglo-Chinese Continuation School from 1952 to 1955, and became a Restaurant Manager at Pearl River Restaurant from 1967 to 1975. He shares about the distribution of food rations at that time.

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  LIM, Bo Yam

  • Recording Date: 10/09/1983
  • Accession No: 000314
  • Reel No: 8

  Mr Lim Bo Yam was born in China on 1/1/1911. His father had a brick factory and a biscuit factory in China. Due to bandit trouble in China, his father came to Singapore to set up business. The whole family migrated to Singapore in 1925. He shares about corruption in the British Army, and the impression that the Chinese had of the British after the war. People were not so subservient to them as before the war.

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  SEAH, Joseph

  • Recording Date: 23/11/1994
  • Accession No: 001558
  • Reel No: 15

  Mr Joseph Seah was born in 1924. He was a Technical Officer. He shares the impact of the British rule on his life. They left a good administrative machinery working. Their system of having non-political permanent secretaries in major departments helped policies to be implemented regardless of the political party in power. This made it easier for the country to take over after independence. Learning from the British and Japanese during the war made him more pragmatic in his views and not take good things in life for granted.

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  SOON, Kim Seng

  • Recording Date: 03/05/1985
  • Accession No: 000543
  • Reel No: 10

  Soon Kim Seng was born in 1924 in Burma. He came to Singapore in 1933. He completed Senior Cambridge exam in 1941. He worked in the Food Control Department, Syonan Municipality from 1942-1945. Mr Soon Kim Seng shares how the British Government introduced People’s Restaurant. There was rationing of rice and sugar. He shared how the war had affected his life, attitudes and how he looked at the future. One lesson learnt was the true meaning of freedom, and an appreciation of the government’s implementation of self-defence and many other policies for Singapore based on lessons learnt through the difficult times under the Japanese and British.

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  TAN, Ban Cheng

  • Recording Date: 07/03/1984
  • Accession No: 000392
  • Reel No: 9

  Dr Tan Ban Cheng was born in 1929. He completed his education at the University of Malaya. He shares the impact of Japanese Occupation on his personal life and on Singapore as a whole. He has learnt to value food and health. It has helped him never give up in the face of difficulties. The Japanese were able to do a lot of things, and this had instilled in people that they could as well, like other people in the West. People did not look so much to the West for their direction in our affairs. The general population has a general awareness of Singapore’s strengths and weaknesses.

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  TAN, Wee Eng

  • Recording Date: 19/06/1985
  • Accession No: 000566
  • Reel No: 8

  Tan Wee Eng was born in 1919. From 1942-45, he worked in the Anti-Mosquitoes Department as a clerk. He recounted his observation of a humbler attitude of the British officers post-war. The food situation improved during the BMA period. British officers were served delicious Western food by Hainanese cooks. By going through the back door, he was able to enjoy beautiful Western food. After the Japanese experience, the abundance of these foods were like "heaven returned after the Japanese Occupation". He also shares his view on why the BMA was referred to as the "Black Market Administration".